Black Irish

This picture of my Dad, Louis, with his sister Leona and parents, Bessie and George Lynam was taken May 2, 1945, four days before Dad's 28th birthday.

Grandpa George's grandparents, William Lynam and Catherine McDonnough both immigrated from Ireland. Grandma Bessie was a Duncan. I have her grandparents traced back only as far as Virginia but I have always assumed they were Scottish.

Dad had dark hair and blue eyes so when I learned the term 'Black Irish' I thought that applied to him. According to legend, Black Irish are the descendants of Spanish Armada sailors who were shipwrecked off the west coast of Ireland in 1588. (According to one web site, the term Black Irish is purely an American term - it is not found in usage in Ireland.)

As a teenager I found it interesting that two Lynam brothers who are distant cousins of mine displayed both the black Irish looks and the more traditional Irish looks. The older of the two had red hair while his younger brother had dark hair.

Another definition of the term "Black Irish" which seemed to fit my Dad even better was depression. A dour, pessimistic Irishman was said to be black Irish. Dad suffered from depression during the years when any type of mental illness was a stigma to be denied. There was no prozac for him.

Whether depression is hereditary or not is still being debated. From the number of experiences within my family, I think it is possible. I never gave a name to my bouts of depression, merely referring to them as 'bad days.' Winston Churchill referred to his as the "Black Dog".

I may be Black Irish or being chased by the Black Dog or perhaps it is just day after day after day of fog and dreary weather, but I'm ready for some sunshine.